Belgium’s First Asian Hornet Death Raises Alarm

A 60-year-old man from Ninove, East Flanders, has died after being attacked by a swarm of Asian hornets, marking the first confirmed fatality from the invasive species in Belgium. Eddy De Mulder passed away on Tuesday evening at AZORG hospital in Aalst after being declared brain dead, according to his family.

The Attack

De Mulder was feeding his pony on the evening of Thursday, August 27, when he accidentally disturbed a hornet nest hanging above the stable door at his property in Voorde, a sub-municipality of Ninove. The nest, which a beekeeper later estimated to contain some 5,000 hornets, attacked in force.

“He ran to his wife, took off his T-shirt and could just barely say he was attacked,” his nephew Guy De Mulder told VRT NWS. “Then his head and throat swelled up, causing him to suffocate and suffer cardiac arrest from lack of oxygen.”

De Mulder was stung dozens of times, including in his neck and throat. He was resuscitated at the scene and rushed to AZORG hospital in Aalst, where he was placed in a coma before being declared brain dead.

Not Allergic, But Overwhelmed

Crucially, De Mulder was not allergic to wasp stings. The sheer volume of venom from the mass attack proved overwhelming for his body.

“Eddy was not allergic to wasp stings, but the Asian hornets attacked so massively that the amount of venom was probably too great,” his nephew explained. “He was stung dozens of times, also in his neck and throat, so he couldn’t breathe anymore.”

First Confirmed Belgian Death

According to hornet experts, no one in Belgium had previously been confirmed to have died from Asian hornet stings. Rene De Backer of the Flemish Bee Institute confirmed this was the first such fatality.

“Unfortunately this is an ongoing situation we need to take into account,” De Backer told De Morgen.

Hornet expert Dominique Soete noted that deaths may have occurred previously without official confirmation. “The problem is that you don’t always know which wasp species stung someone,” he said. “Maybe there have already been deaths from Asian hornets in Belgium without it being officially confirmed. In countries like France and Spain, this is much better tracked.”

A Spreading Invasive Threat

The Asian hornet, now officially called the yellow-legged hornet in Dutch, was first observed in Europe in 2004 in France and arrived in Belgium in 2016. The species has since spread rapidly across the country, as NOS reported.

The danger is escalating. A record 56,000 Asian hornet queens were caught in Flanders in spring 2026 - more than three times the previous year’s count of 16,000, according to VRT NWS.

While the sting of an Asian hornet is not inherently more dangerous than that of a European hornet or common wasp, Asian hornets are more aggressive and defend their nests more readily. They can feel threatened when humans approach within five meters of their nest, and when provoked, the entire colony - potentially thousands of insects - can attack at once.

A Tragic Week for Hornet Encounters

The incident came just days after another hornet attack in Kluisbergen, East Flanders, where at least five people were hospitalized after attacks by European hornets on a popular walking path. About 15 people were stung during a local harmonie walking event on Saturday, as VRT NWS reported.

The tragedy also resonates with families who have experienced similar losses. Fons Walleyn, whose mother Kristin Pickery died in France in 2024 after an attack by European hornets, told HLN that his family now views insects completely differently. “We have looked at insects completely differently since then,” he said.

What’s Next

Experts warn that the Asian hornet population in Belgium has not yet reached its carrying capacity, meaning the spread is expected to continue. Several Dutch provinces have already given up trying to eradicate the species, focusing instead on removing nests only where there is a high risk of stings.

De Mulder’s family hopes his story will serve as a warning to others. “We want to prevent other people from having to go through the same thing,” his nephew said. “Eddy was a hard worker, just turned 60, very social and well-liked in the village. The family is deeply affected.”